Method and apparatus for treating yarn with liquid



Sept. 8, 1936. F. F. LONG 2,053,293

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING YARN WITH LIQUID Original Filed Aug.24, 1933 Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR TREATING YARN WITH LIQUID Application August 24, 1933,Serial No. 686,591 Renewed May 4, 1935 12 Claims.

'10 struction of apparatus for this purpose.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a vertical section throughapparatus for carrying out the process, both according to the preferredembodiment of the present in- 15 vention,

Figure 2 is a detail elevation of a part of the structure shown inFigure 1, and

Figuresii and 4 are modifications of Figure 2.

The present invention is adapted for use with 20 an ordinary bleachingmachine, such as described in Patent No. 1,116,242 issued November 3rd,1914 to James Clayton, the drip tank 35 of which is shown, stationarilysupported above the framework of the machine by brackets 4, andperforat- 25 ed to cause a rain or series of small streams of treatingliquid to drip therefrom.

According to the present invention, a crate or carrier 5 is provided,being supported by trunnions 6 secured to the sides of the carrier.These 30 trunnions take the place of the ordinary bleach rod in the oldmachine hereinbefore referred to. These trunnions 6 rest in sockets l,which are moved along by the machine, causing the carrier 6 to passhorizontally under the drip pan 3|.

35 The yarn is supported in the carrier on rods 8 which extendhorizontally therein, but are arranged to support the yarn in inclinedposition, each rod being higher than the next outer rod. The carrier 5is substantially water tight, but is 4 provided with a drain valve 10 ator. near the bottom thereof.

A lever H has one end connected to the valve 50, and the other endforming a follower 9 coacting with a cam i2 mounted on the stationaryframe of the machine. A spring l3 normally holds the valve 110 closed.

In operation the skeins of yarn M are preferably wrapped in open meshcloth, such. as cheese cloth or tobacco cloth, and placed in the carrier5, being supported by the rods 8 in the inclined position shown. Themachine then moves the carrier horizontally, under the streams oftreating liquid dripping from the pan 311. The liquid 55 passes throughthe skeins, and as the rods 8 support the same only at intervals, theliquid passes on down between the rods.

The spring l3 holds the valve l0 closed, so that the treating liquid istrapped in the carrier 5, and the level thereof rises as the carriermoves forward, gradually immersing the skeins. Then the follower 9engages the cam l2 causing the lever I l to open the valve II]. Thispermits the trapped pool of treating liquid to drain out of the carrier5. 10

When the follower 9 rides off the cam 02, the spring i3 closes the valvel0, and the carrier 5 again begins to fill with treating liquid trappedtherein from the streams dripping from the tank 3!. It will beunderstood that there are a number of cams l2 spaced along the path ofthe carrier 5, and the tank 3! extends therealong so that the fillingand draining of the carrier is continued alternately along thehorizontal path thereof through the machine.

Because the bundles of yarn M are tilted at an angle, any air within thebundles is lifted by the liquid to one end of the bundles where it willnot prevent proper penetration ot'the liquid. Also the immersion tendsto dislodge the air, and the alternate dripping and immersing of theinclined bundles further tends to the elimination of air bubbles.

As contrasted to the former methods, the present invention results inthe diamonds in the skeins remaining more clearly defined, the lacingsare not washed around the skeins, the bagginess of the skeins iseliminated, and the twist of the yarn is better preserved as it is notwashed to one end of the skein. Furthermore, broken filaments if presentare not washed into adjacent threads to cause matted condition, and theskeins are protected by the wrapping thereof, from mechanical damage byimpact of the treating liquid.

It is obvious that alternate methods may be used to discharge rapidlythe liquor from the carrier after this liquor has attained apre-determined height. For example, a siphon arrangement 20 as shown inFig. 3 may be used, or a valve operated by a float control 22 as shownin Fig. 4. Thus various means may be used to bring about a fundamentalidea of the invention, namely, the repeated immersion of the yarn in thetreating liquor with alternate draining therefrom.

I claim:

1. Method of treating yarn with liquid, which comprises drippingtreating liquid on the yarn, collecting a bath of said treating liquid,maintaining said yarn oblique to the surface of said bath, raising thesurface of said bath to immerse said yarn therein and thereafterdraining said bath, and alternately repeating said immersion anddraining steps while continuing said dripping.

2. Method of treating yarn with liquid, which comprises causing treatingliquid to drip on the yarn, collecting a bath of, said treating liquid,maintaining said yarn at a constant acute angle to the free surface ofsaid bath, raising the level of said free surface to immerse said yarntherein and thereafter draining said bath, and alternately repeatingsaid immersion and draining steps while continuing said dripping.

3. Method of treating yam with liquid, which comprises dripping treatingliquid on the yarn, collecting a bath of treating liquid, maintainingsaid yarn at an acute angle to the free surface of said bath, raisingsaid surface to pass the' treating liquid upward through and immersesaid yarn, draining said bath, arid alternately repeating said drainingand immersion steps while continuing said dripping.

4. Method of treating yarn with liquid, which comprises drippingtreating liquid on the yarn, collecting a bath of treating liquid,maintaining said yarn at an acute angle to the free surface ofsaidbath,raisingsaid surface to cause said bath to pass the treatingliquid upward and immerse said yarn, draining said bath, and alternatelyrepeating said draining and immersion steps while moving said bath andsaid supported yarn horizontally as a unit and while continuing saiddripping.

5. Method of treating skeins with liquid, which comprises wrapping saidskeins with open mesh cloth, dripping treating liquid on said wrappedskeins, collecting a bath of said treating liquid, maintaining saidwrapped skeins oblique to the surface of said bath, raising the surfaceof said bath to immerse said wrapped skeins therein and thereafterdraining said bath, and alternately repeating said immersion anddraining steps while continuing said dripping.

6. Apparatus for treating yarn with liquid, which comprises means fordripping treating liquid on the yarn, means for collecting a bath ofsaid treating liquid, means for maintaining said yarn oblique to thesurface of said bath, means for raising the surface of said bath toimmerse said yarn therein and thereafter draining said bath, and meansfor alternately repeating of said immersion and draining steps whilecontinuing said dripping.

'7. Apparatus for treating yarn. with liquid, which comprises means forcausing treating liquid to drip on the yarn, means for collecting a bathof said treating liquid, means for maintaining said yarn at a constantacute angle to the free surface of said bath, means for raising thelevel of said free surface to immerse said yarn therein and thereafterdraining said bath, and means for alternately repeating said immersionand draining steps while continuing said dripping.

8. Apparatus for treating yarn with liquid, which comprises means forcausing treating liquid to drip on the yarn, means for collecting a bathof treating liquid, means for supporting said yarn at spaced intervalsto maintain said yarn at an acute angle to the free surface of saidbath, the area between said supported intervals being sufficient topermit vertically through the yarn, means for raising the level of saidfree surface to cause said bath to pass upward between said supportedintervals the treating liquid to pass,

and immerse said yarn, means for draining said bath, and means foralternately repeating said draining and immersion steps while continuingsaid dripping.

9. Apparatus for treating yarn with liquid, which comprises means forcausing treating liquid to drip on the yarn, means for collecting a bathof treating liquid, means for supporting said yarn at spaced intervalsto maintain said yarn at an acute angle to the free surface of saidbath, means for raising the level of said free surface to cause saidbath to pass upward between said supported intervals and immerse saidyarn, means for draining said bath, means for alternately repeating.said draining and immersion steps, and means for moving said bath andsaid supported yarn horizontally as a unit while continuing saiddripping.

10. Apparatus for treating yarn with liquid, which comprises a frame, anelongated drip tank supported thereon, a carrier tank, means in saidtank for supporting skeins of yarn therein at an acute angle to thehorizontal, means for passing said carrier tank with the skeinssupported therein along said frame under said drip tank, a valve in saidtank, means spaced along .said -frame within the extent of saidelongated drip tank for periodically opening said valve, and means forperiodically closing said valve between said opening intervals.

11. Method of treating skeins of yarn comprising twisted filaments woundwith a traverse forming diamonds, which comprises wrapping the skeinswith open mesh fabric, supporting the wrapped skeins, moving saidsupported skeins along a horizontal path, causing treating liquid todrip on the wrapped and supported skeins from points closely spaced andsubstantially uniformly distributed along said path as a rain and passthrough said fabric cover and the skein therein, whereby the skein isprotected by said cover from mechanical damage by impact of said rainof, treating liquid, and the diamonds in the skein and the twist of theyarn are protected from disarrangement by the flow of treating liquid,and causing a pool of treating liquid supported and moving with saidskein to accumulate from said rain and the level thereof to rise withinsaid cover and immerse at least a portion of the skein therein.

12. Method of treating skeins of yarn comprising twisted filaments woundwith a traverse forming diamonds, which 'comprises first wrapping saidskein so formed and wound in a cover of open mesh fabric permittingpassage of treating liquid but of sufficiently close mesh to protectsaid filaments, supporting said wrapped skein, moving said supported andwrapped skein in ahorizontal path, dripping treating liquid as a rain onsaid wrapped and supported horizontally moving skein from points closelyspaced and substantially uniformly distributed along said path, wherebysaid liquid passes through said cover and the skein therein but saidfilaments are protected from mechanical damage due to impact of saidrain and said diamonds in the skein and the twist of the yarn areprotected from disarrangement by the flow of treating liquid,accumulating a pool of treating liquid from said rain while moving saidpool horizontally with said skein, and raising the level of said pooland thereby immersing at least a part of said skein in said cover whilethe skein is moving horizontally and being subjected to said rain.

FREDERICK FARWELL LONG.

